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A hugely enjoyable dm album despite its derivative nature

Swedish death metal band Bloodbath's 2002 full length 'Resurrection Through Carnage' continues on in the same vein as their earlier EP 'Breeding Death', consisting as it does of stripped down and catchy death metal that alternately rattles along at breakneck speed for the most part with a few unrestrained melodic solos thrown over the top as well as including plenty of chuggy, mid-paced grooves and despondent doomy sections that belie the Katatonia members lurking within the band's ranks.

Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth once again offers up some guttoral vocals, and the whole thing is pretty derivative and even poppy by death metal standards, but whilst the album may not show the creative talent that the bandmembers demonstrate in their main bands, it is nevertheless a very entertaining listen, with plenty of catchy riffs and a gratifyingly coarse and bassy, chainsaw-like low-end sound to it, and the songs change tempo frequently, retaining the Listener's attention throughout. Mid-album song 'Buried by the Dead' is an enjoyably crunchy mid-tempo number with a great groove to it, whilst on opener 'Ways to the Grave' the band throw in what sounds like a metal mini-cover of 'Night on Bare Mountain' (aka the Alton Towers theme tune) mid way through the song jsut for the hell of it. Nothing creatively overwhelming then, but great for the occasional blast all the same

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Bloodbath's first album (2002).

Following the positive response to the 'Breeding Death' E.P., allegedly a one-time project, death metal supergroup Bloodbath returned to the studio to record a full-length album in tribute to old-school Swedish death metal. The result is less impressive than its predecessor, partly due to a less tight focus but also largely down to the repetition, as every song follows the same basic style. While this was certainly a trait of many classic death metal bands, I expected more of a group comprised of Opeth, Edge of Sanity and Katatonia alumni.

These songs are generally faster and thrashier than the darker E.P., and more closely aligned to the sound of Entombed, Grave and Dismember on occasion, which is good news for fans of those classic bands, but also means it only ever sounds like a second-rate imitation (Dismember are one of my favourite death bands, but 'So You Die' merely sounds like a 'Massive Killing Capacity' B-side). Another oddity is how often the riffs tend to sound like something else, something not even inside the metal genre. 'Ways to the Grave' features a melody that I'm sure is taken from some old horror film or opera or something, but is ever so slightly camouflaged to the point that it isn't clear whether it's a deliberate or accidental homage, and 'Death Delirium' sounds like Danny Elfman's 'Batman' theme.

Part of the reason this album fails is that it simply seems too long, despite only being forty minutes, as what was once a tribute of sorts has now become a fully-fledged band playing in a derivative style and inevitably receiving greater attention in the extreme metal world than more creative underdogs due to the comparatively high profile of the band members.

1. Ways to the Grave2. So You Die3. Mass Strangulation4. Death Delirium5. Buried by the Dead6. The Soulcollector7. Bathe in Blood8. Trail of Insects9. Like Fire10. Cry My Name